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REPORT 




Of Taa 



Adirondack Committee, 



Assembly of 1902 



i 



TRANSMITTED TO THE LEGISLATURE APRIL 16, 1903. 



ALBANY: 

THE ARGUS COMPANY, 'pfJNTERS 

1903 











OF THE 

1 

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

Class 

1 
1 








i 



/ 



I 



REPORT 



I Adirondack Committee, 



ASSKIVIBLY OK 1902. 



TRANSMITTED TO THE LEGISLATURE APRIL 16, 1903. 



ALBANY: 

THE ARGUS COMPANY, PRINTERS 

1903 






f 



State of New York 






No. 46. 



IN ASSEMBLY, 

April 16, 1903. 

Report of the Adirondack Committee. 

Assembly of 1902. 



To the Legislature of the State of Neiv York: 

The special Committee of the Assembly of 1902, appointed by 
resolution to visit the Adirondacks, examine the State property 
and report to this Assembly, beg leave to submit the following 
i"eport : 

The Committee met in the city of Utica, at Bagg's Hotel, July 
28, 1902, and organized by electing Mr. T. M. Costello as chair- 
man and Mr. Otto Kelsey as secretary. 

The Committee started for the forest at 9 a. m., on the Adi- 
rondack railroad, stopping at the Fulton Chain of lakes. Here 
the State has considerable land around the lakes. The Com- 
mittee visited the State Hatchery at Old Forge, and found that 
it was not in operation, owing to a lack of sufficient w'ater 
supply of a proper temperature. 



4 [Assembly 

Went tlirougli the lakes to Eagle Bay. There are many dead 
trees along the shore of the lake that should be removed, for 
tJiey mar (he scenic effect and are not in harmony with the 
great forest that makes the background on the sides of the 
mountains. 

Went by railroad from Eagle Bay on Fourth Lake to 
Raquette Lake, passing through the State Preserve. Some 
valuable soft and hard wood timber is on this laud. \Yent 
around Raquette Lake on a small steamer. This is a beautiful 
sheet of water. The land around this lake is owned by the 
State, all of which is covered by valuable timber. It is a 
delightful place, with a few cottages along the water front, 
some of which were owned by individuals before the State 
purchased the land. 

We would recommend that the Constitution be amended to 
permit the Forest Commission to lease every alternate lot on 
the shore of this and other lakes to reliable persons for a num- 
ber of years, who would erect cottages to cost not less than 
1500 or |1,000, and to rent for not less than |100 per year, for 
each lot. By this method a large income would accrue to the 
State from the rents received. The cottage owners would be- 
come fire wardens and would help protect the forest from fires. 
Every alternate lot could be occupied by campers, free from 
rent, who want a front on the lake. 

From Kaquette lake the Committee went by railroad to Tu])- 
per lake. Here we took carriages and visited the Cornell 
College Department of Forestry. 

THE COLLEGE FOREST. 

The greatest interest has been felt in a visit to and inspec- 
tion by the Committee of the tract of forest laud ])uiclinsed 



No. 46.] 5 

with funds provided by the State for Cornell University, which 
has been named the Colleji^e Forest, and is being operated by 
the Colleg:e of Forestry established in the University for the 
purpose of developinjr a scientific management of natural for- 
ests that shall supply timber for revenue, reproduce the growth, 
and maintain the covering of that sterile region for the protec- 
tion and regulation of the waterflow, upon which vast public 
interests depend, while training students of the college in the 
practical work of forestry, and the details of successfully con- 
ducting the business of its financial side. 

We deeply regret that our careful investigation of the experi- 
ment leaves us unable to approve of what has been done, and 
obliged to condemn both present and prospective results. The 
people of the State justly feel a gre^ 'indebtedness to Cornell 
University for benefits conferred, and /ejoice in its fame and 
influence as an institution of learning among the highest in the 
nation. In reporting the facts under our observation and stat- 
ing our conclusions we have no desire to reflect upon the good 
faith of the authorities of the University for the unfortunate 
condition now existing, which is apparently caused by their 
representatives unadvisedly and too hastily assuming contract 
obligations whose fulfillment will defeat the purpose in which 
the plan originated. 

By State appropriations a tract of 30,000 acres of native 
forest was placed at the disposal of Cornell University for the 
study and development of practical forestry. The laud pur- 
chased is located in the Adirondack wilderness near Saranae 
lake. As a working capital the State furnished $.30,000 for use 
at the forest tract, and has annually granted $10,000 to the 
college, instituted for special courses of study at Cornell. The 



6 [Assembly 

recipients strenuously urge that this working capital for forest 
operations should be increased to |50,000, the yearly appropria- 
tion for the college at Ithaca raised to |20,000, and that the 
State should also contribute suitable buildings for its purposes. 

The college had about forty students a year ago, and registers 
seventy in the present year. 

At the college forest we partially traversed the boundaries 
and obtained specific descriptions of the extent and character 
of the woods included in the conveyance to Cornell, and per- 
sonally viewed the clearings made in operating under the law. 
We inspected the buildings and accumulated logs and products 
at shipping points, and examined the nurseries for propagating 
seedlings, as well as the limited areas where replanting is 
being attempted. 

Approximately 1,500 acres have been denuded or cut clear 
during the three years of activity. Tlie site remains strewn 
with brush and debris in such masses as to make the fire risk 
extremely hazardous, which, if once precipitated, is certain to 
inflict incalculable damage to holdings of the State, and likely 
to annihilate large property interests of private owners in the 
vicinity. The theory advocated is to obliterate the forest by 
cutting sections annually, and follow by replanting so that the 
new forest will produce marketable products in succession as 
the last portions of native trees are removed. In practice, 
however, the cutting must be accelerated and the planting re- 
tarded, so that even with favoring conditions this tract of for- 
est will be extirpated in less than forty years with no chance 
for restoration within 100. Only about 275 acres have been 
replanted, and for that the outlook is discouraging. 

The members of the Committee are convinced that the 
present method violates the original plan of operations, and 



No. 4G.] 7 

have been thought compulsory by those in charge, who executed 
a contract with a certain corporation in the hope of securing 
a market for logs and wood product enabling them to show a 
profit in forest culture, but which in its enforcement means 
destruction of the forest and bankruptcy for the plan. The 
contract requires the college to furnish each year about 
2,500,000 feet of logs and from 8,000 to 10,000 cords of wood 
and other material. To strip all sizes and an immense acreage 
each year to satisfy this demand is unavoidable; and, with the 
difficulties in transportation and unforeseen contingencies, the 
losses will soon overreach returns in hopeless progression. 
As now calculated, there is an assumed, but not real, profit 
of twenty-five cents per 1,000 feet of logs, and twenty-nine 
cents per cord for wood delivered, a sum which represents, in 
many instances, less return for clearing an acre of woodland 
than a single hardwood tree ought to bring on sale. And, sup- 
plementing the inadequate price stipulated in the bond, there 
is the imperative necessity for taking care of the neglected 
rubbish, where the danger is as imminent in a draught as 
would be the scattering of dynamite cartridges on a city pave- 
ment crowded with moving vehicles. The estimated cost of 
clearing up the space now cut over is $7,500, or five dollars per 
acre. The diminution of working capital progresses, and the 
exhaustion of any increased amount is inevitable, while the 
present arrangement lasts; but the profit and loss account is 
of slight importance, compared with the work of devastation 
arising from the very means adopted to preserve the forest 
growth. 

The corporation increases its business by purchasing hard- 
wood lands and cutting and removing therefrom everything 



8 [Assembly 

that will supply material for its plant, in addition to that fur- 
nished by State appropriations. The soft woods were hereto- 
fore taken by the lumbermen, and the introduction of factory 
plants upon a large scale, and the construction by capitalists 
of railroads to facilitate the handling of hardwood timber, has 
multiplied by many times the rate of forest removal and pos- 
sibilities of conflagrations in the abandoned debris. 

We believe a continuance of work on present lines will prove 
disastrous to the School of Forest Culture, and the injury and 
loss to the State irreparable. The sacrifice is upon too large a 
scale to justify theoretical results expected for the benefit 
of a third generation which may follow the present. The 
interests of people now living should be considered. An invalu- 
able forest should not be cleared at heavy cost to the State for 
no apparent purpose but the teaching of fifty young men to 
provide for its promised restoration a century hence, while 
there are thousands of acres of denuded waste lands owned by 
the State upon which the doubtful experiment can be under- 
taken. The fluent writer and talker may offer a captivating 
literary exposition of the scheme to occupy leisure moments, 
but is refuted by a demonstrated failure in contemplated busi- 
ness profits, and a miscarrying in ulterior purpose through the 
unmistakable calamity we have witnessed to the forest. On a 
proposition to prevent devastation, already touching the limit of 
public safety, and against the continuance of which constitutional 
prohibition has been imposed, the people have become partners 
in desolating wide areas heretofore inaccessible and are 
responsible for waste of money and for an immeasureable 
damage to the Adirondack Forest Preserve that cannot be 



No. 46.] 9 

remedied, but must be continuously suffered and deplored, 
unless the State shall interpose. 

An unfortunate condition, growing out of this contract, lies 
in the fact that the price received by the university for the 
logs delivered at the railroad switch on the college tract is 
barely sufficient to offset the cost of cutting, skidding and haul- 
ing; in fact, the Committee are informed by experienced 
lumbermen that the contract will entail a loss to the university. 
If this were all, the matter would not be so bad; but there is 
nothing left to pay for the stumpage; and so, when the timber 
is cut oft", neither the university nor the State receives one 
cent for the trees that were standing there. If, as claimed by 
the agent of the university, it is necessary to remove this 
forest entirely in order to carry on planting operations for the 
instruction of the students or for the substitution of a better 
class of timber, it would be better and cheaper to set fire to 
the woods and clean it off that way, thereby saving the money 
that is now being lost in carrying out the lumber contract. 
The State of New York paid |165,000 for the 30,000 acres 
in the Cornell forest, a price that was based solely on the 
value of the land and the standing timber, as we are informed. 
Under the present arrangement this timber will be cut and 
the State will receive nothing for it, except the opportunity 
to replant the denuded hills, an operation which will cost much 
more per acre than the price paid for the land, and re(inire 
seventy years or more of time. 

As an excuse for the present unsatisfactory conditions the 
statement is made in a recent report of the Cornell Forestry 
College that the tract given to them by the State was a poor 
one, that " all the valuable soft woods had already been 



10 [Assembly 

removed by the lumbermen, and only hardwoods, mostly rotten, 
remain." Upon investigating this matter the Committee was 
informed that the forester of the university, after inspecting 
personally the several lands offered, some of which were well 
timbered with virgin forests, selected this particular tract. 

It is also claimed by the university that the failure of their 
logging operations — as admitted at a hearing before the Com- 
mittee — was due to a lack of appropriations from the State 
to carry on that work. But it would seem that when a lumber- 
man is presented with a timber tract of 30,000 acres, free from 
taxes, and with it f30,000 in cash to run his business, he ought 
to succeed without further help. Further appropriations in 
this case would merely postpone insolvency, and result eventu- 
ally in a greater loss. 

It is urged, also, by the Cornell oflBcials that some of the 
money must be used for replanting. But this expense should 
be paid out of the proceeds of the stumpage; and, if the stump- 
age is not yielding any returns, the work should be stopped 
at once. 

Jn further extenuation of the surprising methods employed 
at Axton, it was explained by the college officials that clean 
cutting or denundation was a common practice in European 
forests. Now, your Committee makes no claim to a knowledge 
of European forestry; but it is evident that where such cuttings 
are made abroad they are justified by the net revenue received. 
It is foolish to assume that a European forester would slaughter 
his forest without receiving a cent for his timber, as some of 
the Cornell foresters. If the latter were getting a fair price 
per thousand feet for their stumpage, and, as in Europe, could 
sell the limbs, tops and brush without having to clear it off at 



No. 4G.] 11 

a great expense in order to plant, the existing condition would 
not be so bad. 

In our opinion the existing contract which requires the total 
destruction of from 500 to 800 acres of forest every year 
should be abrogated, either by mutual consent of parties, or 
upon the best obtainable terms, if there are no legal grounds 
for procuring its cancellation. The State can well afford to 
indemnify Cornell University against all liability when its 
larger and lasting interests are considered. In future negotia- 
tions the State should either hnve a part in the making or 
approval of contracts for the sale of timber products, and con 
trol the course of operations in the woods, or should promptly 
withdraw financial support from the college forest establish- 
ment. To protect its own property and that of citizens adjoin- 
ing, we recommend a sufficient appropriation for immediately 
removing the brush and debris now covering the fields of recent 
cuttings and forming a labyrinth of combustible material where 
accident or criminal intent will start forest fires if allowed to 
remain. Neither private owners nor agents of the State should 
be permitted in future to create similar conditions. 

We earnestly suggest, and with proper deference to the con- 
tention of those feeling qualified to speak with authority, that 
the work of removing old forests be stopped, and that efforts 
in the science of forestry be directed for a period to the man- 
agement of nurseries for seedlings, and the replanting of waste 
places now extending over thousands of acres of State lands 
in the Forest Preserve. There is an opportunity for usefulness 
in this unlimited field where no adverse criticism need be feared, 
and public gratitude and honor may be won. 



12 [Assembly 

Leaving Axton the Committee made a trip through Upper 
Saranac lake, where they had an opportunity to see the large 
tract of State forests which covered the surrounding slopes in 
an unbroken area as far as the eye could reach, and which 
appeared to be in a satisfactory condition. Traveling through 
a portion of this forest, over a fine stone road recently con- 
structed from the head of the lake to the State hatchery on the 
outlet of Little Clear lake, the latter place was reached and a 
careful inspection was made of the work carried on there by the 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission, 

SARANAC HATCHERY. 

Everything connected with this hatchery was found in perfect 
condition. The buildings were neat and in orderly shape, while 
the work carried on there gave ample evidence of intelligent 
management and a high degree of efficiency. By a recent im- 
provement in the supply pipes a sufficient quantity of cold water 
of the proper temperature is obtained from the bottom of Little 
Clear lake, making it one of the best equipped institutions of 
its kind, and capable of a large annual output of fry, fingerlings 
and yearlings of various species. 

REFORESTING OPERATIONS. 

Continuing its journey of investigation, the Committee 
visited the denuded lands in Franklin county where the Forest 
Commission has undertaken the work of reforesting a large 
tract by planting small seedling trees of white pine, Scotch 
pine, Norway spruce and American larch or tamarack. Here 
wero found about 700 ncres of open country that had been cleared 
by lumbering operations and fire, which had been planted under 
the (liiection and personal supervision of the expert, pro- 



No. 4H.] 13 

fessional foresters in the employ of the Commission. The young 
plants looked green and thrifty, and so far as could be seen they 
were all alive and promising. The forester in charge stated 
that although a few had died the percentage of loss in this 
respect was remarkably small and less than that of any record 
kept ou similar undertakings. This land is situated near the 
railroad which runs from Saranac village to the main line of 
the Adirondack division of the New York Central Railroad, 
and hence the plantation will always be in some danger of fire 
from this source. For this reason the Committee recommends 
that some provisions be made for the employment of patrols 
during the dry season to properly protect the plantation and 
insure the safety of the young trees which, it is confidently 
hoped, will in time develop a forest growth and furnish a valu- 
able object lesson to all who are interested in the extension of 
our forest areas, both public and private. 

From the foot of Lower Saranac lake a journey by boat was 
made through this beautiful sheet of water, the greater part of 
which, with its many islands and surrounding forests, is owned 
by the State. Continuing the trip, we passed out of the lake 
and down the river through some of the most charming scenery 
in the preserve to the stone dam and lock recently constructed 
by the State on this stream. 

Below the dam there is a long stretch of still water caused 
by the backflow from the dam at the village, and along which 
the scenery is marred to a great extent by the dead timber, 
stumps and flood trash that in many places line the shores. 
A few years ago an appropriation of flO.OOO was made by 
the Legislature for cleaning out this unsightly mass, which 
was expended with good results on that part of the river near 



14 [Assembly 

the village; but another expenditure will be necessary to com- 
j)lete the work on this tourist route and improve the channel 
for two or three miles below the dam. 

Leaving the Saranac region, the Committee went by train and 
stages to the St. Regis lakes; but as the State owns onh' a small 
amount of forest land in this vicinity, there was little that re- 
quired attention. 

From Saranac Village to Lake Placid the journey was made by 
rail, passing by Ray Brook, the site of the new hospital, now 
in course of erection by the State Tuberculosis Commission. 
The location seemed well adapted to the purpose of a sani- 
tarium, and one that justified the Commission in its selection. 
The railroad, most of the way, passes through a tract on which 
the timber has been destroyed by fires that were started by 
sparks from the locomotives. If, when this railroad was built, 
the company could have been compelled to use petroleum in 
their engines, as done in the case of the Raquette Lake Rail- 
way, the forest would still be standing there unharmed, and a 
source of pleasure to every passenger on the road. 

At Lake Placid the attention of the Committee was attracted 
by tlie very great number of summer visitors who filled the numer- 
ous large hotels, and thronged the smaller boarding houses and 
private cottages there. The same conditions had been noticed 
and remarked upon in the trips through the Fulton Chain, Sara- 
nac and St. Regis lakes. It required only a little thought and 
a brief computation to realize the immense business done in this 
respect, and the large revenues that must accrue to the region 
by this great influx of visitors, a large part of whom came from 
other States. The capital invested in this summer business and 
the revenues derived from it amount in the aggregate to millions 



No. 46.] 15 

of dollars, and contribute materially to the development of 
wealth throughout A'orthern New York, and, incidentally, to 
the benefit of the entire State. Amonj? the many reasons that 
are ur^ed for the preservation and protection of the Adirondack 
forests, this maintenance of attractive conditions is by no 
means the least. 

From Lake Placid the journey was made by carriages through 
the forests of Essex county to Keene valley, and thence to the 
mountainous region of the A usable lakes, where may be found 
the grandest scenery in the entire Adirondacks. These lakes 
are situated in township 48, a large tract, which was purchased 
about eighteen j^ears ago by an association of public-spirited 
people whose sole object was to prevent it from falling into 
the hands of a lumber company who intended to cut the timber 
on it. Since then not a tree has been cut or a deer killed on 
this large tract of forest land. 

From St. Hubert's inn at Keene Heights, a long drive was 
made down the valley of the Ausable river, through the towns 
of Jay and Ausable Forks to the Ausable Chasm, where some 
time was spent in going through this famous canj^on and study- 
ing the natural attractions of the place. . Resuming the jour- 
ney by rail, the next stay was made at Lake George. Here a 
trip was made through the many islands, all of which, except 
fourteen, belong to the State and are part of the Forest Pre- 
serve. These islands, which form one of the principal attrac- 
tions in this most beautiful of all American lakes, are well 
wooded and give evidence of the care bestowed on them by the 
Forest Commission. On a few of them there are cottages which 
we were informed were erected several years ago, at a time 
when the Forest Commission was authorized to grant leases 



16 [Assembly 

for camp sites. But since 1895, when the new State Constitu- 
tion went into effect, no cottage or building of any kind has 
been erected on a State island. 

Leaving Lake George, the Committee returned to Albany, 
where it separated, subject to the call of the Chairman. 

The forests of the State Preserve, so far us they came under 
the observation of the Committee, are in good condition and 
well protected from fires and trespass. Since 1899 there have 
been comparatively few forest fires in the Adirondack region; 
and these, for the most part, occurred on the outskirts of the 
main forest where there was no State land. The greater part 
of the territory burned over consisted of waste land or brier 
patches on which there was no standing timber or trees of 
any particular value. Of the total area injured by fire each 
year less than ten per cent, belonged to the State. In the 
opinion of the Committee, the fire wardens are well organized, 
efficient and attentive to duty, as shown by the remarkably 
small loss from fires, as compared with former years. The 
fire law of our State has been perfected by years of practical 
experience, and is, undoubtedly, as good a one as can be made 
operative under the small appropriations granted for its 
enforcement. It is a model law in this respect, and has been 
closely copied by the other States that have forests to protect. 
It could be made still more effective, however, by the employ- 
ment of paid patrols during the dry seasons when the trees 
are not in full leaf, but this would require a larger annual 
appropriation. At present the State pays on an average about 
^2,500 annually for protecting its forests — both public and 
private — from fire in the Adirondack and Catskill regions. 



No. 40. J 17 

So far as the Coininittec could learn, Micro is lit lie Irospass- 
ing or timber stealiug on ihe State Preserve, aside from the 
petty thieving, which, owing to the scattered location of the 
game protectors, is dithcnlt to suppress entirely. Some timber 
cuttings, involving in all 300 acres or more, occurred during 
the past two years. But this cutting was done, for the most 
part, by parties who held deeds to the laud and who disputed 
the State's title. In the litigation which ensued the defendants, 
with one exception, were defeated and forced to pay for the 
timber, together with an extra sum as a penalty. The excep- 
tion referred to was the alleged trespass committed by the 
Santa Clara Lumber Company in the tract immediately south 
of Ampersand pond, a matter which was made the subject of 
an investigation by a previous committee from the Legislature. 
In this case, which was tried recently, the State was defeated 
and the title of thi' Lumber Company was affirmed by the court. 
So far as A'our Committee could see or learn, the Forest Com- 
mission is showing a commendable efficiency in the protection 
of the Forest Preserve from fire and timber thieves. 

From the careful observations and investigations made, your 
Committee deems it proper to submit the following recom- 
mendations for the consideration of the Governor and the 
Legislature: 

1. That the necessary legal proxisions be made lo enable 
the State to grant small leases of .\<liron(lack land to campers 
and cottagers and avail itself of the large revenues obtainable 
from this source; that such leases should have a frontage on 
lakes or streams not to exceed 400 IVet in length, and that the 
alternate sites should not be leased or sold, but should be held 



IS [Assembly 

for the use of tlie public nud for individuals who should be 
allowed to occupy such sites fi'ee of cIuh-j^in but who should be 
restricted in their occupaucy to the use of tents. 

2. That where the timber alonjj^ the shores of a lake or 
traveled stream has been killed by the backtlow of a State dam, 
these dead and unsiiihtly stubs should be removed, and that 
reasonable appropriations be made from time to time for such 
purpose. 

3. That the appropriations for the protection of the Stale for- 
ests from fire be increased so as to permit of the employment of 
patrols, and a more comjtlete service in this respect. 

4. That a liberal sum of money be iiranled annually to carry 
on the work of reforesting;- the burned or denuded lands in the 
Preserve and for the maintenauiie (►f the State nurseries in which 
forest tree seedlinsis can be ])ro])ag:ated and furnished to carry 
on such work. 

5. That in addition to the two cxix-rt foresters now in the 
employ of the Commission two more be provided for in the 
annual ai)])roj)riation oi- su])i)ly bill, tluneby inci(^asin;.i the num- 
ber to four. 

G. That in view of the large number of })eople who visit 
the Adirondacks each summer, and the immense revenue derived 
from this source, the necessity for ])roleclin,n the jireat water- 
shed of Northern New York, and the benefit derived from the 
climatic and sanitary functions of the forests, advantaj^es which 
aie dependent solely on ]>reservation of wooded conditions, the 
policy of acquiring- more land as an addition to the Preserve 
should be continued, and that purchases of forest lands in the 



No. h;.i n> 

Adirondat'ks and Calskills should be promptly made whenever 

the property is offered at a reasonable price. 
All of which is respectfully submitted. 

THOMAS M. COSTELLO, 
OTTO KELSEY, 
JOTHAM P. ALLDS, 
JAMES T. ROGERS, 
OEORGE PALMER, 
JOHN McKEOWN. 
Dated Albany, X. V., April 1;'), 1!)03. 



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